My final show of the new year was an awesome one! My friend Alex and I got the Regency Ballroom about 20 minutes before doors opened. The line was super short, so I knew getting some rail was guaranteed. Onioner came by and we chatted for a bit before doors opened and he went to get in line. I got into the venue and got some rail spot so my friend could go get some much needed ear protection. Once he got back, I went to go use the restroom and upon returning, some dude called my attention. Turns out he's seen me at a couple of indie shows in San Jose, and I started chatting with him and his pals. All cool dudes from the South Bay, hope I can run into them again. After that Onioner came over and we chatted for a bit before I decided to go reclaim my spot on the rail. Not too soon after, the lights went dim and the show started.

The first band of the night was The Body. The Body are a two man sludge group , but live they had two drummers. Both had modest drum sets, and one had a sampler for samples at the beginning of songs. The guitarist had a HUGE rig. Some of the amps were connected to this briefcase that I'm assuming just had a lot of electronics. The set was really loud, and I could barely discern the guitars with all the pure noise they were producing with (I'm assuming) the electronics in the brief case. The drummers were laying down the jams though, which definitely helped all the sound to be perceived as songs. During one song, there was this one loop they had going on that was literally shaking the whole venue. Shit was cash. Overall, The Body's set was enjoyable, but since I couldn't really hear the guitar, I'm not exactly sure what I'd really be missing if I don't check 'em out.

Up next was the almighty Yob. It was quite obvious that a lot of dudes were coming to show mainly to see these guys, and they put on a hell of set. Mike sounded absolutely incredible the whole night. It was cool to see Travis on the kit this time around, as he didn't tour with the band when I saw them last in 2011. The crowd was loving the set, with roaring ovations after each song, and it was clear that the band was completely appreciative of the crowd reaction. Not much else I can really say. Yob put on a stellar set that was heavier than blue whale.

Yob
Quantum Mystic
?
Grasping Air

Next up was Santa Cruz hardcore punk legends, Bl'ast. I don't know why these guys were on the line-up, and I honestly didn't care for their set. The music was just typical old-school hardcore punk, and the crowd got all rowdy. And it appeared that a decent amount of dudes came specifically to see these dudes. It was kind of a mood kill after witnessing the heavy stoner doom that was Yob. Then some asshole tried to crowd surf and he was just grabbing people's necks and pulled on this one dude's hood, so the poor dude's neck was getting choked. I was not down. And they pushed set times back.

Next up was the band of the evening, Neurosis. Since set times got pushed back and apparently they had a curfew that night (what the fuck) Neurosis had to unfortunately cut their set short. But even with a shortened set, Neurosis was absolutely killer. The band was incredibly heavy and their material is just soul crushing to witness live. They played a good mix of material from their discography, but focused on material from A Sun That Never Sets and Honor Found In Decay. Highlights for me were Locust Star, From The Hill, and the end of My Heart For Deliverance. I especially lost my shit for the ending jam of My Heart For Deliverance. I had my eyes shut throughout most of the performance, and I was just zoning pretty hard with the music, so there isn't too much else I can really say. Neurosis' set was heavy as all hell and hypnotic too. Only complaint was some people moshed during the heavy parts, but other than that the performance was just great.

Neurosis
Locust Star
We All Rage In Gold
From The Hill
The Tide
Water Is Not Enough
My Heart For Deliverance
The Doorway
Stones From The Sky

After the show, Alex, Onioner and I went to Tommy's Joint and got some delicious post show grub. It was chill.

The set was so good that I don't feel at all gypped like I usually do when sets are cut (ahemMissingLinkahem). Now I just want to see them again because I know the next show will be even better.

Also forgot to mention, fucking half the underground Bay Area metal scene turned up at the show. Lots and lots of "Holy shit, what's up (insert cool Bay Area metal person/ex-member of Ludicra here)!" for the whole night.